1 of 6
Photograph by Thomas Crone
2 of 6
Photograph by Thomas Crone
3 of 6
Photograph by Thomas Crone
4 of 6
Photograph by Thomas Crone
5 of 6
Photograph by Thomas Crone
6 of 6
Photograph by Thomas Crone
Held in a post-industrial zone of north downtown, centered in-and-around the hulking Cotton Belt building, Artica’s anchored by that structure. This year, the building looked far different than it had before, with the structure one-third covered by a huge mural named “Migrate,” sprayed onto the structure by Artica co-founders Nita Turnage and Hap Phillips.
While the completion of that work will come with additional funding, the backdrop’s already dramatic, visible from the Illinois riverbanks and the new Musial Bridge. Covered up is a wide assortment of large graffiti tags, which have long provided the primary splash of color on the Cotton Belt. The work on that project largely took Turnage and Phillips out of the curatorial mix this year, though a wide variety of Artica regulars returned.
Though held from Friday to Sunday, the weekend’s long been anchored by a fuller day of programming on Saturday. True this year, too. And two particular events are key to that day.
The first comes around 1 p.m., as musicians lead the crowd down to the Mississippi River’s banks, as part of the Boat of Dreams Parade. This year, the Polydimensionals lead the march, with Josh Wolf giving a moving invocation at the river’s edge. Members of the Celestial Theatre gave a short performance, a few fireworks were lit, and handmade boats were set into the water, along with other fertility-to-death totems, from bouquets to stalks of corn to assorted fruits.
The evening brought about the other annual tradition, with a fire burn. This year’s burn claimed the wooden effigy, Our Lady of Artica, per usual. This year, a second burn took place, with Dr. Bill Russell burning the charred remains of a house that had burned next to his own South Side home. As the fires burned, DJs performed inside the darkened Cotton Belt while illuminated installations drew the attention of those who wandered through the expansive space. Several hundred attendees enjoyed the evening spectacle, including a dozen members of the St. Louis Fire Department.
On Sunday, fewer Articans returned for a rainy day potluck and breakdown of installations. Attached are several photos (here's the full Instagram hashtag roundup of the weekend's pics, including video). To read last week’s “Seven Questions,” interview with Turnage and Phillips, click here.
